Ukraine says exported missiles to China and Iran

[KiwiCoromandel]

Ukraine says exported missiles to China and Iran

19 March 2005

LONDON: Ukraine has acknowledged exporting 12 cruise missiles to Iran and six to China amid mounting pressure from other countries to explain how the sales occurred, the Financial Times reported yesterday.

It quoted Ukraine's prosecutor-general Svyatoslav Piskun as saying 18 X-55 cruise missiles, also known as Kh-55s or AS-15s, were exported in 2001, although none was exported with the nuclear warheads they were designed to carry.

The X-55 had a range of 3000km, enough to put Japan within striking range of the Asian continent or to reach Israel from Iran, said the newspaper, adding Piskun's statement was the first confirmation by a government official of the exports.

The news of the missile exports came less than three months after Ukrainians elected a new Western-leaning president, Viktor Yushchenko, to lead the former Soviet republic.......

Read more......

http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3221780a12,00.html

[Wolfie]

Lot of stuff got "exported" out of many parts of the old Soviet Union in last 10 years to pay the bills. Nothing really new there.

[Redneck4sure]

True Wolfie. Other countries sell everything they can too so what the heck. The U.S. sells fighter planes to most countries and Europe and Russia do too. Anything for a dollar.

[DudeAsInCool]

But they were paid to dismantle the weapons or to ship them back to Russia.. I predict heads will roll on this... And that Iran and China will be forced/asked to send them back

[Redneck4sure]

Sorry. No returns, refunds or exchanges. All sales final.

[method77]

The weapons that are supposed to be destroyed, most of the times are sold to rebel armies around the world. Anything for a dollar like redneck correctly said

[DudeAsInCool]

The weapons that are supposed to be destroyed, most of the times are sold to rebel armies around the world. Anything for a dollar like redneck correctly said

I sincerely hope that all the arms peddlers and war mongers rot in hell...surely they will...

[method77]

It's not always a bad thing Dude. Rebel armies sometimes are for a good cause* and that's a way to get the guns cheap. Those armies are considered illegal and nobody would sell them weapons legally.

*eg. Kurds or several rebel groups in Africa

[DudeAsInCool]

It's not always a bad thing Dude. Rebel armies sometimes are for a good cause* and that's a way to get the guns cheap. Those armies are considered illegal and nobody would sell them weapons legally.

*eg. Kurds or several rebel groups in Africa

Total pacifist here - I consider war to be immoral...

[KiwiCoromandel]

Pakistan test-fires nuke-capable missile

20 March 2005

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has successfully test-fired a long-range, nuclear-capable ballistic missile, the latest in a series of tests in one of the world's flashpoints.

"Today, we carried out a successful test-firing of the indigenously developed Shaheen II missile," a military official told Reuters on Saturday.

The missile could travel up to 2,000 km (1,200 miles) and carry all kinds of warheads, he said.

The military said Pakistan had informed neighbouring countries about the test in advance – a practice also observed by nuclear-armed rival India, which regularly tests its own nuclear-capable missiles.

Pakistan first successfully tested a nuclear weapon in 1998.

President Pervez Musharraf, who watched the missile test, said the country's nuclear programme had broad public support and was a matter of the highest national importance.

"The nation's nuclear capability ... was developed for Pakistan's own security and will continue to receive the highest national priority," Musharraf was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the military.

AdvertisementAdvertisement"The capability was here to stay, will continue to go from strength to strength and no harm will ever be allowed to come to it," he was quoted as saying.

The launch was successful, the military said.

"The test was carried out to verify some of the refined parameters. Al Hamd-o-Lillah (Praise to God), all parameters were validated," it said.

Pakistan and India, which have fought three wars since their independence from British rule in 1947 and went to the brink of a fourth in 2002, regularly carry out missile tests despite warming relations in recent months.

Experts say India and Pakistan are thought to each have several dozen nuclear warheads that can be mounted on short- medium- and long-range missiles

[Redneck4sure]

Total pacifist here - I consider war to be immoral...

It's easy to be a paficist if you're not the one oppressed. I understand your view but I disagree. I didn't mean the first statement to be insulting toward your viewpoint so please don't take it that way. :)

[DudeAsInCool]

It's easy to be a paficist if you're not the one oppressed.

Sorry, I think you misunderstood me, Redneck. I'm a 'pacifist' not a 'paficist'

[Redneck4sure]

Sorry, I think you misunderstood me, Redneck. I'm a 'pacifist' not a 'paficist'

Now I see how you are. You are tolerant of everyone except dyslexic rednecks.

[method77]

Whether we want it or not, sometimes war is the only answer

I hate it too

[slum_goddess]

Total pacifist here - I consider war to be immoral...

same here; using force to get anything is fucked up unless they do it first and only in certain circumstances (i'm thinking of WW II jews/roumanians and nazis, like that as well as preventing really mean motherfuckers from taking over wherever).

Sorry, I think you misunderstood me, Redneck.  I'm a 'pacifist' not a 'paficist' 

Dude! don't bring out my inner pedant cause i'll be correcting your ass all over beatking. it took me over 7 years online to rid myself of the moronic idea that those who don't spell perfectly are dummies; yes i was prejudiced but i'm hoping it's mostly all gone now).